New Beginnings don't have to be Endings
by dancing in daydreams
Summary: Thorin is thrilled to finally welcome his first nephew to the world. Dwalin, however, is somewhat more reluctant...


The door opened and the healer smiled at them. Thorin finally stopped his pacing. He had known everything had gone well when they had heard the crying of an infant. Víli had been called into the room a while ago, but even so, Thorin had been too restless to sit down.

"You can come in and meet your sister-son now."

Thorin hurried inside with Dwalin following more slowly. Dís had shadows beneath her eyes but was smiling. Víli was beaming brightly from beside her.

"How are you?" Thorin asked. "Did everything go well?"

"I am fine, dear brother and so is little Fíli. The healer said it was the easiest birth she had seen in years. I told you it would go well and there was no need to worry," she teased gently. "Come and say hello."

Thorin went over to the bed while Dwalin continued to hover by the door. He peered down at the little bundle in Dís' arms. Bright blue eyes gazed back at him, framed by fair hair and the beginnings of a beard.

"Do you want to hold him?" Dís asked.

Thorin nodded and she carefully placed Fíli into his arms. Fíli blinked up at him, screwed up his face and began to cry.

Thorin chuckled softly. "There, there, little Fíli, is it really so horrible to meet your uncle?"

He hummed a soft tune, but there was no soothing Fíli.

Dís gave an exaggerated sigh. "Please don't tell me he has your temper. When I saw he had Víli's looks, I hoped he might have been spared from our family moodiness..."

Víli laughed. "He does have your nose after all, so I feared he might get the family grumpiness as well."

"Do you hear that, little one?" Thorin audibly whispered to Fíli. "You haven't been here for an hour and they're already making fun of us. No wonder you are protesting. But they are exaggerating, the family temper isn't quite that unbearable, is it, Dwalin?"

Thorin looked over his shoulder, but Dwalin had disappeared from the door. Surprised, he turned back to Dís, who sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You should probably go talk to him," she said. "I can't say I didn't see it coming, but I didn't expect it quite this soon."

"See what coming?" Thorin asked, his forehead creased in confusion.

"Just go after him," Dís said. "Fíli is probably hungry anyway. Let's see if I can get him to drink."

Thorin handed Fíli back to her after pressing a gentle kiss onto his forehead.

...

He found Dwalin standing just outside the entrance to the underground town, gazing into the night time valley with his arms crossed.

Thorin leaned his back against the stone wall beside Dwalin, looking into the darkness as well. Several minutes passed in silence.

"Your father was right," Dwalin finally said. "You should be with someone who can give you children and a real family."

"You _are_ my family. You and Dís, Víli and little Fíli."

"You'll want children of your own. I've seen the way you are with children, with Fíli. You know...," Dwalin swallowed, "if you want to marry someone, just for having children or... not just for that... I'd understand."

"No."

"I don't want to prevent you from being happy."

"No." Thorin shook his head. "I can't believe we are even having this discussion. I don't need children of my own and Fíli will be my heir. And you don't prevent me from being happy, quite the opposite in fact. Don't make me have to thump that into your thick skull, though I will if I have to. Unless of course, you want to leave me?"

Dwalin shook his head. He leaned closer to Thorin though he carefully kept his head turned away.

Thorin put his arm around Dwalin and gently turned him around. "Come here, you big fool."

Thorin pressed his head against Dwalin's, pretending not to notice that Dwalin's eyes were squeezed shut more tightly than necessary. They stayed that way for a long while.

"Shall we go back inside?" Thorin finally asked when the silhouettes of the mountains became visible against the lightening sky. "We should see if there's anything Dís and Fíli need and then get some sleep. The night has been short enough as it is."

Dwalin gave him a long kiss. "Aye, we should go inside."

...

Dís smiled when she saw them. "We were just about to get Fíli settled, but maybe one of you could hold him for a moment while we get things ready?"

Víli grinned from beside the crib where everything was already perfectly set up.

Dwalin nodded, ignoring the obvious excuse. "I'd be happy to hold him."

Dís carefully set Fíli into his arms. "Look Fíli, that's your Uncle Dwalin."

Fíli gazed up him and gurgled.

"Hello, little gem," Dwalin whispered. Fíli waved his arms about, making tiny fists as Dwalin softly cooed at him.

"Well, I do believe we have found our future babysitter," Dís said. "Sorry, Thorin, you could probably still learn a thing or two from Dwalin."

Thorin merely grimaced, unable to turn his eyes from Dwalin and Fíli.

Víli on the other hand groaned. "He's going to spoil Fíli rotten, isn't he?"

"Of course I am," Dwalin replied without looking up. "That's what uncles are for, isn't it?"


End file.
